Be Mine Forever (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Yes, from the body temperature, state of rigor, and degree of congealing in the blood from the headwound, or lack of it, I stand by my observations that this girl died within fifteen minutes of her discovery.”

“The head injuries on the right appear to be less than those on the left.” Kane pointed to the screen. “Yet I can only see one side of her head with any sign of injury. Would this indicate a punch?”

“This X-ray belongs to Sandy.” Emily pointed to the one on the right. “We needed copies to compare as we believe two people are involved.” She raised both eyebrows. “Remember the discussion on the blood spatter arc at the house?”

“I do indeed.” Kane’s eyes crinkled at the corners.

Jenna stared at the images. “This would indicate injury from the same type of blunt instrument used with variable force.”

“Yes, and resulting in a different outcome.” Wolfe pointed to spiderweb marks on Becky Powell’s X-ray of her skull. “That represents massive head trauma. A skull fracture causing death. It would have taken considerable force to inflict that amount of damage. Blood has accumulated inside the cranium, so she didn’t die instantly. I would estimate the killer used two blows, so not the same type of uncontrolled frenzied attack we saw in Laurie Turner’s case.” Wolfe moved to Sandy’s X-ray. “Here we see a concussion, caused by a significant blow to the head but not resulting in a fracture. Many people consider that a concussion is nothing to worry about but it’s a traumatic brain injury that affects brain function and can be delayed. This is why the doctors are keeping Sandy under observation.”

Slightly confused, Jenna stared at the body of Becky Powell and the massive bruising in her neck area. “She didn’t die from strangulation?”

“No.” Wolfe lifted the girl’s eyelids. “She has no burst capillaries in her eyes and her hyoid bone is intact. From the bruises on her body, the hip, knees, elbows, I’d say she was fighting back. The strangulation wasn’t working so they hit her.” He shrugged. “I’ll open her up and confirm but the damage to her neck is superficial and wasn’t sustained. She does have a bruise mid-spine. I would say her killer was trying unsuccessfully to gain leverage using their knee perhaps and failed.”

“Any sexual contact?” Kane was scanning the body. “I can’t see the usual signs of rape.”

“No.” Wolfe looked at Jenna. “There doesn’t seem to be a motive for this murder. Apart from the fact that both victims are cheerleaders, the MO is different in each case. The only link we have is strangulation, well attempted in this case, and the men’s underwear in the mouth. Without that, I’d find it difficult to believe they were connected.”

Jenna thought for a beat. “They have another connection; they both got a ride with their killer. Becky’s SUV was left at the library, it only has her prints on it and we found it locked, so it wasn’t an abduction.” She glanced at Kane. “The girls knew their killer and went willingly to their deaths. No one heard a girl screaming for help outside Rowley’s old house and it’s a close-knit community. She walked in the house under her own steam. What would tempt a girl to enter someone’s house at night?”

“Oh, that’s pretty easy.” Emily snorted with laughter. “A secret date with a hunk, maybe someone on the track team… an athlete of some kind. Most girls of that age would walk on hot coals to be seen out with a handsome jock.”

“That wou

ld make sense.” Kane looked at Wolfe. “The force used to kill is different from what I’d expect from say, two men. There’d be considerable bruising from restraints and it’s more likely rape would be involved.”

“My conclusion would be one male, one female, for that reason.” Wolfe pointed to the victim’s head. “From the angle of the blunt force trauma and the fact it is in two areas. I would say Becky was on her knees and the female was strangling her from behind. Becky was fighting, so the female killer was unable to restrain her, she likely ordered the male to kill her.”

“Just don’t forget Stan Williams.” Kane peered at Jenna over his mask. “He seems to be able to lure cheerleaders into his apartment to take photographs. The FBI are watching him but don’t rule him out.”

“I can’t see him being the killer.” Wolfe narrowed his gaze. “Think about it. If he lured the girl into Rowley’s house and tried to strangle her but she fought back, what would usually happen?” He looked at Kane. “A man is more likely to punch, knock her senseless, and then strangle her.” He shrugged. “In my opinion, this is close to a panic kill. The first one went like clockwork, look at the comparison.” He went to the computer and images filled the screen. He pointed to Laurie Turner’s neck. “She was secured, likely by a seatbelt and attacked from behind in an upward fast motion. The pressure on the carotid artery would have been enough to make her black out in ten seconds. Then the killer kept the pressure going without the victim fighting. The second is a mess. I figure it’s teenagers, most likely in the same age bracket as the victims.”

“That would tie in with our list of suspects.” Jenna turned as the doors whooshed open and Colt Webber came into the room carrying an iPad.

“I have some results.” Webber handed the iPad to Wolfe. “The trace evidence we found on the bedhead is a match for the spittle we found at the Laurie Turner murder scene and the blue fabric found on the steps matches the pompoms of the high school cheerleading squad.”

“Did both samples identify as spittle?” Wolfe studied the results.

“Nope.” Webber pointed to a result on the screen. “The second one was sweat.”

Jenna leaned against the counter, running the scenario through her mind. “They spread bleach all over the plastic cover on the mattress and slipped up again. Do you figure they tried to strangle her on the bed?”

“Just how long has it been since you were all in high school?” Emily shook her head. “We know two people are involved by the extent of the head injuries and the blood spatter. It’s likely a thrill kill or perhaps a payback kill.” She took a breath. “These kids have just killed again and they liked it. We know from the blood spatter they killed Becky in the middle of the room, dragged her body to the wall, and sat her up. They’re young with hormones raging. They wanted her to watch them making out.”

“Like a victory dance.” Kane stared at Emily and shook his head. “Are kids really that irresponsible?”

“Some are but most times it’s peer pressure pushing them into doing things they know isn’t right.” Emily sighed. “It’s all about the cliques in school these days.”

Jenna folded her arms and sighed. “So, this poor girl thought she was meeting her dream date and it was a trap.” She allowed the faces of the kids they’d interviewed to run through her mind. Which one of them was capable of murder?

Forty

Mentally drained after a hard day, Jenna dropped into her chair at the office and waited for a report from Rio. She wrapped her hands around a cup of coffee and took in all the additions to the whiteboard. She had updated Wolfe’s autopsy results. As she waved Rio into a chair, Kane walked in behind him and sat down. “Okay, Zac, what have you got for me?”

“Everyone on your list of persons of interest were in town when Becky Powell was murdered.” Rio waved a hand at the whiteboard. “I’ve listed each one and anyone who recalls seeing them at the festival. I had to break it down as before the first set of fireworks and after the last set. Mainly because with everything going on nobody could give me a specific time. I considered this logical as everyone was out enjoying the festival.”

Jenna nodded. “I gathered as much. What about the library?”